In light of the growth of e-commerce-and the fact that consumers and businesses are buying again, many of the discussions that we had at ProMat 2015 didn't revolve around the products and the equipment on display as much as it did the supplemental technology and solutions that are designed to optimize systems in an effort to work "smarter."

Collaboration isn't a new concept. What is new is how we collaborate. Innovative technologies such as social collaboration platforms, mobility applications and intelligent analytics and dashboards have become much more prominent within the supply chain. During this webcast we'll explore how combining these innovations with end-to-end supply chain visibility creates a prime opportunity to maximize your manufacturing Supply Chain IQ, enabling you to make better decisions and execute those decisions more quickly and profitably.

Novus Arkansas in Little Rock prepares nutritional supplements for livestock feeds, which are packaged in 55-pound bags and stacked 40 bags to a pallet. But if a bag near the bottom of a pallet gets ripped, it can cause a ton of trouble. Workers then have to lift and transfer more than 2,000 pounds of product by hand from that pallet to another and replace the damaged bag.

Not anymore. To reduce time, expense and potential worker injury associated with this restacking procedure, Novus purchased a pallet rotator/inverter (Southworth). The equipment rotates a fully loaded pallet 180 degrees in about 1 minute. Now, employees can place a loaded pallet in the rotator/inverter, turn it over, replace damaged bags, and rotate the load back to its original position—all with the push of a button.

“The new inverter is significantly reducing the potential safety hazard and liability of back strain,” says plant manager John Farmer. “There is really no way to maintain good posture when you’re twisting and turning over and over again with a 55-pound bag in your hands every time.”

About the Author

Lorie King RogersAssociate Editor

Lorie King Rogers, associate editor, joined Modern in 2009 after working as a freelance writer for the Casebook issue and show daily at tradeshows. A graduate of Emerson College, she has also worked as an editor on Stock Car Racing Magazine.

Subscribe to Modern Materials Handling magazine

Subscribe today. It's FREE!

Find out what the world’s most innovative companies are doing to improve productivity in their plants and distribution centers.

In light of the growth of e-commerce-and the fact that consumers and businesses are buying again, many of the discussions that we had at ProMat 2015 didn't revolve around the products and the equipment on display as much as it did the supplemental technology and solutions that are designed to optimize systems in an effort to work "smarter."